Advanced Tips for Football Betting

Advanced Betting Tips

This section is for those bettors that have already mastered the Basic Tips for Football Betting*. These advanced tips are based off of the basic tips, and some of them even involve a further and more specific explanation of the basic ones. It goes without saying that bettors applying these tips should have better chances at making the right choice when placing a bet on their favorite football team. These tips should be used as guides, and not as facts, as the best teacher when it comes to betting is experience; these tips help the bettor gain more knowledge without having to suffer through in order to gain the experience. Bettors will see tips on, Bankroll Control, Killer Habits, Research Some More, and Payout Calculations.

Bankroll Control

Learning to handle the finances is a number one priority of any bettor. The first step in this process is to separate personal finances from the money that will be going towards betting. This money is called your bankroll. From this, and only this, will the bettor be using the money to place wagers.

Bankroll Size

The second step is to figure out what kind of range is appropriate to use based on the size of the bankroll. For bettors with big bankrolls, ranging from $10K and up, should try to only use 2% – 4% of their bankroll for each bet they make. Bettors with mid-sized bankrolls, ranging from $1k – $10K, should try to limit their bets to only 4% – 6% of their total bankroll. As for the bettors with small bankrolls, ranging from $100 – $1K, should use only 6% – 9% of their bankroll to place on each bet. These percentages are the maximum any bettor with those bankrolls should ever wager. Also, bettors need to be consistent with these bets, and not deviate too much; even during special games like the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Risk vs. Reward

As the amount of money each type of bankroll size can place also affects how many total bets they can make, there are levels of risk for each. The risk for large bankrolls is that splitting their money amongst so many bets could cause the bettor to not do enough research on each bet, leaving them open to failure. For the middle and small bankrolls, the risk is in the fact that they have to bet a bigger percentage of their bankroll, while placing fewer bets. This is a risk each bettor has to decide for themselves.

Learn more about managing your bankroll with Money Management Basics*.

Killer Habits

There are a few nasty habits that bettors should avoid, at least when they are placing bets as they could influence a decision that may not be the right one. Most bettors, especially sports bettors like to associate betting with the sport and fun, which may lead to alcohol. Alcohol is the number one factor that impairs bettors from making smart choices. I am not saying to quit drinking, I am saying quit drinking long enough to place the bet; then it’s party time.

Another huge habit that bettors need to keep in check is their emotions. Winning big or losing big can have a very nasty effect on bettors. Big winners tend to want to bet more than they should, and big losers tend to want to win back the money they lost, placing wild bets. All this behavior does is put the bettor, and their bankroll in jeopardy.

Research Some More

There are three basic aspects that bettors should focus on when researching about the teams; their stats, the individual player stats, and the news.

Team Stats

Team stats allow the bettor to look at the bigger picture when it comes to matchups. Bettors can find out each teams overall strengths and weakness; whether they are weak in offense or defense. Offensive stats are split into three groups, running, passing, and total yards, while defense stats are also split into three groups, how well they stop the running and passing plays, and how well they keep the score against them low. By knowing these few stats, the bettor can start getting the idea of how teams could perform in the matchups.

To learn more about team stats read How to Read Football Team Stats*.

Individual Player Stats

These stats are player specific, and they tend to be more involved. If a bettor is able to analyze and understand these stats, and combine them with the team stats, they could paint a very accurate picture of how a team will perform. These are harder to understand, and especially compare against other teams. Learning how to read them can be tricky, but it is very much worth it.

To learn more about team stats read How to Read Individual NFL Player Stats*.

The News

Keeping up with current news, either on the teams that will be playing or on the weather, it is all important. Bettors should realize that the number one factor that affects a game is weather, unless the game is played in an indoor stadium. For instance, a windy day can affect how the ball is thrown and how far the ball will go. Keeping these factors in mind will help immensely.

Payout Calculations

For any bettor, calculating the payout of a bet is very important. Reading the odds and learning to calculate the potential profit of the bet can influence a decision in a very big way. All bets have a favorite, which is represented with a – symbol in front of the odds, and an underdog, with the + symbol. For example:

Indianapolis Colts +120
Houston Texans -110

The +120 means that the Colts are the underdog and the Texans, -110, are the favorite. The way to calculate potential profit depends on the favorite and underdog figures. For the favorite, the -110 means the bettor would need to bet $110 in order to win $100; if the bet wins. For the underdog, the +120 means that for every $100 the bettor wagers, they could win $120 in return if that bet wins. It is pretty simple to do after understanding the favorite vs. underdog calculation differences. There are other forms of odds that can show up on a sportsbook. The -110/+120 style are called American odds. The other two types of odds are the Fraction and the Decimal odds.

Fraction Odds

The fraction odds are just that, a fraction like 5/1; which is read “Five to One”. The way to calculate this type of odds is to simply read it in order and assign values. For the 5/1 odds, it would be for every $1 wagered, they will win $5. However, for calculation purposes, bettor can simply take the total amount they are going to bet and multiply it by the fraction; going to bet $100, so it would look like this, $100 x 5/1 = $500.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds involve decimal numbers as odds; +2.20 or -1.50. To calculate this is very simple, multiply the wager total by the decimal number; leaving out the + and -. Using the 2.20 odds, the calculation for a $100 bet would be, $100 x 2.20 = $220. However, with the favorite it is calculated in reverse. The amount needed to be bet in order to win $100 is calculated like, $100 x 1.50 = $150. In other words, in order to win $100 off of the favorite, the bettor needs to bet $150.